Mystery Skulls -- Remakings
by Paperbending
Summary: (SEQUEL SERIES TO RENEWAL) Lewis has had his revenge, and it...hasn't quite turned out the way he wanted it to. Now with hundreds of revived spirits running amok, a primordial being with an unknown plan, and Arthur's soul hanging in the balance, Vivi and Mystery are running to try and save him. But are they enough?
1. House Call

_I have taken too long already. The ritual must go completely undisturbed in order to achieve perfect results. If I am to avoid any intrusions, haste must be made. Much haste, much haste…_

 _—_

Mrs. Pepper paced back and forth, back and forth, unsure of her own shaky steps beneath her. The floorboards of the upper level of the Pepper Paradiso restaurant creaked beneath her rapid footsteps. She always did this when she was upset. She couldn't stand to stay still, especially in times of stress, so she used this as a way to keep herself preoccupied.

She doubted that this time it would do very much good. She already knew the answer she dreaded, despite having tried to convince herself otherwise. She knew it even before the doctor left her daughter's room, before he even started speaking the barbed words to wound her soul.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, I have no idea what's wrong. Your daughter is stable, but this burn, it…it's unlike anything I've ever seen before. It spreads like some kind of disease…And you're sure that it was a burn? That she couldn't have contracted something from a classmate?"

Mrs. Pepper numbly shook her head. "She's been on break for a week and a half now."

The doctor nodded his head. "I understand. Sometimes, these diseases do take some time to incubate, though. I'm going to prescribe her some antibiotics, just to see if that reduces the spreading at all. I'll speak with some colleagues and see if we can't refer you to someone who can help. If her condition worsens, I do strongly suggest that you take her to the hospital. I still don't fully understand why you don't want her to go there now…"

"She's had some…unfortunate encounters with rather poor doctors when she was a young girl. It gives her anxiety just to be near a hospital, let alone inside one. Unless it becomes direly important, I don't want to upset her any more than she already is, doctor. I appreciate the concern, but for now, I should like to keep her at home." Mrs. Pepper answered in a clipped tone, even more than her usual voice. The doctor nodded again, obviously not pleased with her answer, but turned to walk down the stairs and out the front door. Mrs. Pepper watched him go, then stepped into the dimly lit room, trying to be as quiet as possible.

The room, having originally belonged to Candy, the oldest daughter, had been in need of a new paint job for some time now. The walls, once depicting a bright bubblegum pink sunset, were now fading. The bright zoo animals painted near the sunset were decaying as well. The room felt…heavier, darker than it usually did, and not just because the lights were off. And it got worse as Mrs. Pepper turned to look at the patient in the bed.

Her youngest daughter, Cayenne.

And she was very, _very_ sick.

It had happened all overnight. Cayenne had been burned by… _something_ in the alleyway, as she was taking out the trash. She had wanted to prove that she could do a chore on her own, like her sisters. The burn mark had looked like a handprint, across one of her cheeks. Mrs. Pepper had seen red when she first saw what had happened. She could have sworn that she saw a glimmer of pink in the alleyway right as she had left to investigate. It had taken her husband half an hour to calm her down enough to get her to stop looking for whoever had done this. And then, that night, it had gotten worse. The mark had spread down her face, her neck, and down to part of her right arm. It had changed colors from red to an angry pink, to the point where it almost glowed.

Mrs. Pepper turned to look at the other corner of the room. Mr. Pepper sat in a chair there, hands folded in front of his mouth, anxiously watching for some miraculous change that wouldn't come. "Those antibiotics won't help, Gigi. We both know they won't." His voice quavered as he spoke, eyes never leaving their daughter. "What…What are we going to do?"

Mrs. Pepper glanced between her daughter and Mr. Pepper. Her jaw set, she said to her husband, "I'm going to cure her."

"With what?" he asked, in a defeated tone.

"You know with what."

Mr. Pepper paused, before he replied, "You said you were done with that line of work."

"I didn't think I'd have a daughter get cursed, Gerald."

Mr. Pepper eyed her warily. "Remember what happened all those years ago. There might be no coming back from this."

"So, we're supposed to do nothing, then?" Mrs. Pepper snapped at her husband. Without waiting for an answer, she stormed downstairs. Passing by the family coat closet, she replaced her chef's apron and shirt with a rugged outdoors coat, worn slightly by years of use, but still durable and warm. Slipping into the coat, she then opened the door to the Pepper Paradiso's storage basement, flicking on the light. She strode past the rows of spare supplies, spices and frozen foods, and walked up to the far wall, which was covered in cured meats. She reached behind and pressed a button, and a hidden door slid open.

Mrs. Pepper walked into the room and surveyed its contents. The shelves in this storage room were filled with items ranging from old guns and blasters to swords and charms of every variety. Mrs. Pepper took a bag from one of the shelves and filled it with various items from the shelves, before taking an old, worn iron sword and scabbard. She started strapping them to a swordbelt just as her husband walked into the room, as unsurprised as she was by the hidden chamber.

"I haven't seen you use that sword for a long time." Mrs. Pepper heard him as he came in and gave him a heated glare.

Unfazed by years of marriage, Mr. Pepper's eyes were stern, but calm as he said, "I never said that we should do nothing. I just want to make sure that you know what we're getting into here. I don't want the girls to lose their mother, too."

Mrs. Pepper's expression softened, before she managed to say, "I…I know. I just wish that it hadn't come to this."

"So do I." Mr. Pepper stood, and took his wife's hand before he said, "I wish I could go with you…"

Mrs. Pepper smiled, before she said, "I know you do, but you remember the old days. You never were a fighter, Gerald. Besides, someone has to watch the girls. I know you'll be fine while I'm gone."

"Do you know where to look?"

Mrs. Pepper replied immediately, "Not yet, but I know where to start searching for a trail."

Mr. Pepper nodded, and gave his wife a quick peck on the lips, before saying, "Go save our little girl. And come home safe."

Mrs. Pepper, resolute as always, said simply, "You know I will." Pack slung on her shoulder, she walked back upstairs and out the door, into the cold darkness of the night.


	2. Cleanup Detail

_The moonlight streams into my sanctuary through the impluvium in the roof, reflecting everywhere thanks to a small reflecting pool at its base. There is something comforting about the night. It reminds me of the primordial void that came before existence._

* * *

Vivi hit the asphalt, hard, as she was thrown there by their latest quarry, snapping and clawing at her face. The red bony face of the Hollow was more skull-plate than actual face, as the jawbones clacked inches from her nose. And then, it was jerked upwards by the force of Vivi's ecto-blaster as she finally found her trigger again. Vivi slowly stood up as the creature vanished into the midnight clouds from the force of the shot. Rubbing her shoulders, she turned to look at her combat partner. Mystery still had his teeth locked in another one, ripping him back and forth with such intensity that Vivi was surprised that it was even still alive. "Mystery!" She called out.

He stopped immediately, and the small imp in his jaws groaned at Vivi in a mix of pain and gratitude.

"Hasn't that one had enough yet?"

Mystery sat on his hindquarters, as the imp turned to red mist and was inhaled down his throat. He smirked at Vivi before saying, "You've apparently forgotten how much fun it is to play with your food." He looked up into the sky, remarking casually about the falling Hollow, "Well, that one's reached quite the altitude, hasn't he? That blaster of yours is certainly functional enough."

Vivi patted the silver arm cannon attached to her left arm, neon blue veins of plasma pulsing warmly in time with her own adrenaline-fueled heartbeat. "I think it packs a nice little punch, don't you?"

"It certainly does. But nothing quite matches…" Mystery trailed off as he crouched down low, eyes locked on the screaming, still-airborne spirit. Vivi barely heard him finish his thought: "…the personal touch of a close-combat finish."

Mystery's eyes flashed scarlet as he leaped up into the air, easily reaching the height of the falling, screeching demon. With a swift, fluid motion, his head darted forward, clamping down on the creature's neck. Its elongated fingers flailed and struggled against his grip, but Vivi knew he would hold on. He held the spirit all the way to the ground, then, just before he made contact, snapped his head around and slammed the beast into the pavement, before landing effortlessly on his paws. He released the Hollow onto the pavement, and opened his jaws wide, inhaling the misty essence of the spirit. Licking his lips, he said to Vivi, "It's amazing that these things can manage to keep their flavor after so many centuries."

Vivi rolled her eyes, but grinning in spite of herself, and started to walk back to the van. It was strange, to see Mystery act like this. Well, then again, it was still a little strange to hear him speak, so there was that too. What caught her off guard was how much more…well, _fun_ he seemed now that he'd lost the majority of his powers. Before, when he had his full strength, he'd been…well, he'd been a little boring. Granted he had been focused on his mission at the time, of keeping Vivi and Arthur safe, but even in their relaxing time while they were on the move, he hadn't cracked a smile once until Mauta had de-powered him. Now, he laughed, he was engaging, playful, even. His new personality matched up a lot more with what Vivi had read about Kitsunes. Playful tricksters, capable of good and evil in equal, mischievous amounts. Even if he did have more of the hunger in his eyes that the books had spoken of as well…

Either way, Vivi decided she kind of preferred this Mystery, even if he got a little more winded after a fight. Vivi opened the back door of the truck, and collapsed the arm cannon into its compacted disk form. Vivi kept a cache of technology and magical items in the back of the truck for ghost-hunting missions. She preferred to use magical; even though she sometimes barely understood how they worked, the ghosts they encountered with them seemed to react more peacefully than with tech. That said, sometimes, like tonight, a little extra firepower was needed. Vivi turned to look at Mystery, saying, "Well, I guess we can scratch this place off of the list too, then. Any other leads you can think of?"

Mystery shook his head, as he pawed quietly towards the van. "I'm sorry, Vivi, I can't think of any other places tonight. The trail picks up, every once in a while, but like I told you last time, tracking Elder Beings is a bit different from tracking ghosts and spirits. Their magic leaves a different type of scent, it's harder to track them."

"Right, right. I remember from last time you told me." Vivi's shoulders sagged at the response. She has seen it coming though. A full week of following Arthur's trail, and still nothing had come up. It didn't help matters that Mystery didn't want to talk about the kidnapper, whoever she was. All Vivi could gather was that it was a time that Mystery didn't like to dwell on. She would press for details, but Mystery never surrendered any. It was…frustrating, to say the least.

Vivi shrugged these thoughts off as she said, "Well, never mind. I think we've done some good work today! How about we head for home, and we start fresh on the trail tomorrow?"

Mystery gave her a sideways glance. "You aren't usually one to ask for breaks."

"I know, I know, but this time, I think we've earned it. After all, don't you need time to digest…those…demon spirits, or something?"

Mystery's eyes narrowed. "I…suppose…"

"Perfect! Let's head back to my apartment, I've got the best idea to end the day!" Vivi hopped into the driver's seat and patted the passenger seat for Mystery to ride in.

Mystery tentatively shrunk down, saying as he did, "If you say so."

Mystery was about to hop up into the van when he heard a noise behind him. It was too small for Vivi's ears, but for him, it cut loudly through the otherwise silent midnight air. Mystery immediately swiveled his head in the direction of the sound. Too loud to be a squirrel or bird, and no humans would be out at this time of night…would they? Mystery stared into the brush for a good ten seconds before Vivi asked, "Mystery? You coming or what?"

Suspiciously, Mystery called back behind him, "Yes...yes, I'm coming..." and hopped up into the van.


	3. Never too Careful

_How long has it been? Eons? Epochs? Time has no meaning, especially in the hands of those who do not understand its nature._

* * *

Gigi walked through the dark patches of the forest, following the trail of the spirits that had been travelling through here. Even having been off the job for years, there were things, like tracking, that she never forgot. The trail was fresh, no more than an hour old, and judging by the way that their prints crisscrossed and circled around each other, there had been a struggle of some kind here. She knelt down to get a better look at the prints, but with the dim moonlight, she would only learn so much. She had once spent years memorizing different animal prints, both natural and supernatural, in order to learn tracking, but knowing prints would only tell her part of the story; she would need to examine these and move on quickly if she was to keep the trail.

It was difficult to tell, but there were some sort of canine print here alongside the more bestial prints. More than likely, the demons had encountered a stray dog and ripped him to pieces, alive, before devouring him. Gigi knew that they didn't need to eat; spirits with no physical form or metabolism to nourish had no reason to kill other than sport. Monsters. To imagine that they would slaughter anything in their path for mere pleasure…it sent chills down her back, no matter how many hunts that she went on. That was why she had become a huntress in the first place. There was evil in the world, and she intended to destroy it, even if she had to wipe it out one ghost and demon at a time. To think that she and her team had once been among the best in the world...

It had always been difficult work. That's why she had ended up leaving it behind after her children were born. That, and—

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of crashes in the distance. This forest was positioned next to a park, but would the demons be so foolish as to attack human civilization directly, even at night?

No matter. If they were stupid enough to seek out a fight, then Gigi would oblige them. Her hand tightened involuntarily around her iron blade, and she dashed towards the direction of the disturbance.

She weaved, in between the trees, as quickly as she could. There was no telling how long it would take before the demons took an interest in the civilians nearby. She could already hear the tell-tale screeches; the ones that meant that a target was in sight. Putting on an extra burst of speed, she approached the edge of the trees, spotting asphalt where the trees gave way to development. Slowing to a halt just at the edge of the forest, Gigi's free hand dropped involuntarily to a lump in her bag.

 _Last chance to turn back, G. You put that thing back on, and you know you won't take it off until the job's done._

Her hands shook. Her hands _never_ shook. Apprehension? In her? Why now?

 _Because you know what's at stake._ The voice in the back of her mind was right. The stakes hadn't been this personal in years. Even if she felt nervous about it...

 _...There is no choice_ …

If she was going to win her daughter's safety, she was going to have to put aside Gigi Pepper.

Before she could pull out the item, though, she glanced again at the parking lot which had been the source of the demonic screams. The lot was…empty. Completely empty. Well, almost empty. Down at the far corner of the lot, amidst crumbling demon residue and red dust, was a yellow van, and a girl dressed literally head to foot in blue, putting away what appeared to be a massive bazooka longer than her arm.

 _Vivi?_ Gigi knew the girl well. She had been seeing her son before he had…well, before the incident. Vivi had been like a fourth daughter to Gigi; she still was. She had been too busy in the past few weeks to come and visit her and Gerald at the restaurant. She had said that she wasn't ready to come and see the place again, not yet anyway.

What was Vivi doing out here? Was she chasing the same trail that Gigi was? How would she have known where to check for clues, let alone to come out and search in the first place?

Gigi stepped forward, to get a closer look, but accidentally stepped on a branch under her foot. The dead tree limb snapped, and although it was quiet, it almost felt deafening to Gigi.

Apparently it was just as loud to Vivi's dog, whose head swiveled immediatley in Gigi's direction, and warily stared in her direction. Intelligent dog. It shouldn't be able to see her in the darkness, but she kept stock-still and silent just to be safe. Eventually, Vivi called to her dog, and the small thing hopped up into the van. Gigi couldn have sworn she hard a second voice, but passed it off as a trick of her mind. She watched as the van disappeared on the road away from the parking lot.

Gigi now understood it all about Vivi. The girl had been very secretive about what she and her friends did on their get-togethers, likely because she didn't want her boyfriend's mother to worry. And on any other day, she would have been right. But having seen that she obviously knew how to take care of herself in a fight, a different idea began to percolate within her mind.

 _Gigi, have you lost your mind? You can't drag her into this. It's too dangerous to bring even an apprentice after a ghost this powerful._

 _…But I'm not Gigi Pepper right now. Not during a hunt. And that girl has more field experience than most apprentices, that much is obvious._

Reaching again for the lump at the bottom of her bag, Gigi pulled it out and examined it in the moonlight. It was a masquerade mask, beautifully hand carved, if slightly worn from age. It was designed to appear like a phoenix, The symbol and patron of ghost hunters around the world. The phoenix stood as a symbol of rebirth, and of life conquering over death, even undeath. Wings of fire covered and protected the wearer's eyes, with only two thin slits to see through. She hadn't worn that mask since she had been a professional ghost hunter, back before she'd even begun seeing Gerald. It was more of a piece of nostalgia than it was a tool for ghost hunting. But knowing the deviousness of some of the ghosts in the spirit world, one could never be too careful. She slipped the mask on, and immediatley, she felt warmth and safety pour through her body. With the mask, she took on a new identity. She was not Gigi Pepper, wife and mother. She- _they_ -were Madame Jeanette, ghost hunter extraordinaire.

She had taken the persona on years ago, after her first hunt, in order to protect her family and friends from any ghosts that might hold a grudge. In this world of magic and vengeance, one could never be too careful.

 _Never too careful indeed…_


	4. Movie Night

"Is this truly necessary, Vivi? We aren't doing Arthur much good by sitting around at home." Mystery sat, rather awkwardly, on one of Vivi's trademark blue plush pillows. Actually, no, not _on,_ a better description would be _in._ With how soft some of these pillows were, Mystery sometimes felt like if he sat for too long on one of them while wearing the dog-skin, he would sink and be swallowed by the mass of cloth and fluff.

" _Yes_ , it's necessary! When was the last time we had an honest-to-god movie night? One of the good ones, that always get us laughing at how bad or cheesy the movies are. Besides, I thought you loved watching these movies with everyone?" Vivi crossed her arms while she spoke at Mystery, waiting for the microwave next to her to finish popping her popcorn.

"Well, it's just that, with the monster plague that I…ah…released, and Arthur's location still missing, it's rather unlike you to take a social night off. Normally, when this sort of thing happens, it's I who has to take you away from work…"

"We've been working all week, Mystery. It's time to have some fun! Now, help me pick which movie to put in." Vivi dismissed the matter as she crossed the room to search her shelp of DVDs. "Should we watch this one, or that one, or… _OOOOOOOOHHH,_ let's put in this one! I can't remember the last time I watched this one!" She could only squeal as she passed the case to Mystery to see what she had put in.

Mystery shook his head, more in amusement than anything else. _Night of the living Dead_. Mystery had encountered actual Reanimations before, and the ones in this film were _far_ prettier than the real thing. Horrible, nasty creatures, made you lose your appetite. But at least Vivi liked the imitation. He called towards the kitchen, as Vivi was opening the microwave door, "You know, we've seen this film enough times that I know what you're going to say during the movie?"

"Oh, hush. That's what makes it so much fun!"

"Fun that I can predict _exactly_ what you're going to say, when you're going to say it?" He smirked as she pouted. Rolling his eyes, he said, "Oh, just put the bloody thing in already." She grinned and plopped down next to him on the couch, as the movie started to play, a big bowl of fresh popcorn in her lap.

"I think I might have burned it a little," she smiled apologetically.

"I've learned to look past it over the years. Some people just can't be perfect, you know," Mystery replied, grinning as her mouth opened in shock and mock offense.

The movie's opening credits rolled by on the classic white screen, and immediately began Vivi's scathing review: "Honestly I cannot believe that was a cool caption design back in the day? Like, someone in their office probably actually went _oh, hey guys, let's make the letters look like blood, so everybody knows this is super-duper scary, graphic design is my passion_.

"…What was up with that stupid girl, anyway? How did she not get the idea that moving towards a shambling creep is a bad idea? I bet you she was dropped on her head as a baby."

"Empathetic as usual, I see." Mystery said, not missing a beat. _Right on cue, too. It's almost like she rehearses these things._

"I'm just being honest! And wouldn't that guy realize something was wrong with the dude that walked up to him and oh, I don't know _call the cops like a normal person?_ "

Mystery stowed a chuckle as he answered, "He certainly doesn't have much sense, does he?"

" _RIGHT_?" The two of them laughed over the volume for most of the film, all the way through to close to the ending.

It was one of the final scenes, when Vivi spoke up again, and this time, it wasn't quite what he expected to hear. "Huh. This is…now it's a little weird."

He stopped watching and turned his head to look at her. "What's weird?"

"I remember when we used to watch this movie as a group, a year ago. This was always the part when Lewis said that he would protect me, even when I'd elbow him and tell him it wasn't a scary film at all."

Rolling his eyes, Mystery said, "I remember. And then he'd pick you up and bear hug you, whether you liked it or not. It hasn't been so long that the awkward third wheel has forgotten everything."

"I didn't know you could talk back then, foxface." She gave him a playful flick on the snout. Then she sighed, and said, more somberly, "All the same, this movie feels…a lot sadder than it used to. I was hoping that…well, I don't know, that it might help to cheer me up a little."

"Is that what all this is about?"

Vivi looked at him when she didn't understand, and Mystery said, "Lewis and Arthur, both gone? Or more to the point, not here?"

Vivi paused, then quietly nodded her head.

Mystery thought his words through carefully before he asked, "I thought you said that you were done with Lewis back at the Mesa."

"I did, but…I don't know, I just…I guess I still miss him? Even though the stuff he did was awful, and it's not something I want in my life—"

"You miss how your life used to be before he died."

Vivi didn't answer immediately. She didn't need to, she knew he understood he was right. She crossed and rubbed her arms with her hands. It was strange how quickly you could get a chill in this empty apartment now.

"I just want the both of them back, Mystery. I don't want Lewis to be ghost, I don't want Arthur to be trapped inside of a rock, I don't want my friends to keep dying the way that they do. I mean, you're the only one of my little circle of friends who's still alive. I don't want you to die and go insane too." Vivi drew her knees up to her chin and said in a quiet voice almost muffled by her sweater, "Maybe I'm just bad luck to be around."

Mystery stood up immediately, and wiggled into the thin space between her stomach and legs, forcing her lap back down as he curled up on it. "Mystery!" She protested.

"Remember when I used to do this all the time?" he said, eyes closed, not opening them to look at her.

"Yeah I do, every night my parents did movie night, you'd make it so I was never comfy on the couch!"

Mystery's mouth twitched upwards into a smile, as he said, "Exactly. It was irritating, annoying, but you were always sure of where I was. I couldn't have been closer to protect you if I wanted to. I've known you longer than either Lewis or Arthur. If you're bad luck, then by your logic I shouldn't be around anymore, should I?"

Vivi opened her mouth, but before she could say anything Mystery said, "Actually, that was a rhetorical question, you weren't supposed to answer that."

Vivi flicked his ear in revenge, getting a satisfying yelp in response. Mystery scowled up at her, and said, "Look what you did, you ruined the moment."

That got a laugh out of her, and Mystery smiled. He continued, "What I was trying to say, _before you so rudely interrupted me,"_ this earning him a tongue stuck out at him, "is that I'm here for you. I haven't gone yet, and I'm not leaving anytime soon."

Vivi smiled at him, and he smiled back, until Vivi looked up and said to the screen, "Seriously, you let the creeps in? Lady, you are not smart in the _least…_ "

Mystery looked back at the television, sighing, "aaaaand again, moment's over."

Laughing, Vivi said, "I'm only kidding and you know it." Mystery only huffed in response.

Vivi turned down the sound of the film, briefly, and said to him, "Though, I was going to ask you something, Mystery. How are…you feeling?"

Confused, Mystery stood, got off her lap, turned back to face her and asked, "Feeling? I feel fine, why?"

"Well, I'm sure it's nothing, but I just wanted to make sure. You've just been acting a little differently is all. More energetic, more playful, more teasing. _Definitely_ more mischievious." She said the last adjective with a bit of a smile on her face, before she continued, "I just wanted to make sure that losing your powers didn't affect _just_ your powers."

Mystery nodded, and paused before he answered, "I…I'm honestly not quite sure myself. When I was at full strength, I was strong, yes, but it always felt more like a dwindling strength, like the kind of a man aging past his prime. Now that my spirit reservoir's been drained, I almost feel…well, younger. I feel hungrier, but it's a good hunger, the kind you get after a long day of hard work, not really a hunger of greed. I don't deal in that type of hunt anymore anyway…" Mystery said the last sentence while looking away. Vivi didn't like the way that sounded, but from the look on his, face, she could tell he didn't want to talk about it. Making up her mind, she reached over, picked him up and placed her back on her lap.

He looked up at her curiously, and she said with a smile, "I think I don't mind you sitting here anymore. So long as you behave yourself."

"Vivi, dear, you are speaking to an aeons-old spirit who is nearly more powerful than your scanners can read."

"Aeons-old spirit who still yelps like a puppy when I flick his ears."

"Hrrrrrmmph."


	5. Objectives

Vivi awoke the next morning, sunlight streaming through the windows. She stretched her back, groaned aloud as she did, and then flopped back against the couch. Mornings were always the most difficult part of the day. If Vivi could manage to get herself out of bed, then nothing could stop her. Groggily rubbing the slumber from her eyes, she stood, and looked down at Mystery, who had curled up asleep beside her. They must have both fallen asleep watching the movie last night. Vivi reached down and scratched Mystery on the neck, just under the side of his jaw. The dog's tail started thumping immediately, like clockwork, and his eyes slowly cracked open. No matter how long she had known Mystery, that one favorite scratching spot of his had always managed to wake him up. Vivi smiled as he woke up and stretched his forelegs and yawned, hind legs still bunched up.

"Come on, Myst. We overslept." Vivi straightened her clothes out and walked straight for the pantry to get breakfast.

"Is there really such a thing as 'over'-sleeping? A wonderful thing like sleep isn't really something you can have too much of."

"Get up, ya butt."

With a final yawn, Mystery hopped down off of the couch and joined Vivi at the table. He walked over to his bowl and paused, then turned to glare at Vivi.

Vivi, half done with her bowl of cereal, stopped and said, "What?"

"What is this drivel in my bowl?" He motioned with his head pointedly at the bowl full of dog food in front of him.

Vivi rolled her eyes and said, "Mystery, I can't afford to make you chicken for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. Plus, kibble's too small for you to do that weird alligator-swallowing thing you do with chicken."

"Do you realize how much animal meat are in these dirt-balls?"

"Well, not exactly…"

"None! Because, unlike most dogs, I take the time to _read the packaging._ Did _you_ take the time to read the packaging, Vivi?"

"I'm pretty sure you're making all of this up to make me feel bad."

"Vivi, I have _two_ metabolisms to feed: _two!_ Sure, my magical one is doing fine, but I'm certainly not going to get my physical strength back by eating these…things."

"Keeeeeep tellin' yourself that, tiger." Vivi had turned back to her phone now, ending the conversation.

"The indignity of it all…" Mystery muttered as he scooted the bowl with one hand so that he could face Vivi, a look of complete contempt and irritation on his face. Actually, Vivi, with the amount she made from hunts, likely could afford to make Mystery chicken for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but the look on his face was worth every dollar she saved by buying kibble instead. Chuckling to herself, but not so loud as to alert the deceptively small kitsune in disguise, she unlocked her phone and checked her email as she ate. Sure enough, Duet had responded to her, and was ready for another meeting.

"All set to go, Mystery?"

"Oh, I suppose. I'm not going to get much nutrition out of this bowl of lies, anyway."

"I think I liked you better back when you couldn't complain about my breakfasts."

* * *

Vivi parked her car outside of the Tome Tomb and stepped out, Mystery close behind. Somehow, the place had this strange way of always looking like it was in the same stage of decay, no better or worse as time went on. Vivi was convinced that it was an enchantment of some kind, but Duet maintained that it was simply good use of props and extra construction pieces. Yeah, and Vivi's boyfriend was colder than ice.

Or was it ex-boyfriend now?

Vivi grumbled to herself and pushed the unwelcome thoughts from her mind as she almost shoved the double doors open. It was time to focus on someone other than Lewis. Duet's head popped out from the storage room door, and he called out, "Oh, hey there, Vi. How are you feeling?"

"Better, thanks Duet. We've got something for you."

Duet gave a face of interest as he waited expectantly. Reaching into her purse, Vivi carefully produced an egg made of beautifully carved jade and several bands of silvery metal. Vivi and Duet had made a deal about her employment after she had gone out into the world away from the store: she would be allowed to do field research of the occult and continue looking for Arthur, and along the way, she'd find magical artifacts that were worth selling and bring them to Duet. There wasn't anything especially dangerous in the list of things he asked for, just odds and ends really, barely of any magical quality. This one was more of a magical novelty than it was a weapon.

Vivi said to him as she handed over the egg, "Careful that you don't touch the metal with bare skin, it has some sort of electrical current inside of it. Learned that lesson the hard way."

Duet blanched and gingerly set the egg into a nearby display case. Obviously relieved after he set the item down, Duet said, "You seem to be snagging artifacts for me left and right these days. Good hunting indeed, hm?"

"I've just been able to focus better in the past couple of weeks. Especially since we got…someone…out of my life."

Duet raised an eyebrow at Vivi as he said, "Some guy trouble, is it?"

"It _was_ some guy trouble, that's for sure."

Duet laughed and clapped his hands, all the while saying, "Ah, yes, wonderful! I hope the poor fool got what was coming to him…" His mirth trailed off, however, as he looked down and happened to make eye contact with Mystery. Still not having forgotten their last encounter, Duet took a slight, but very noticeable, step backwards. Duet couldn't see, but Vivi thought she saw the faintest hint of smug satisfaction imprinted on her dog's face.

Vivi said, "Ah, Duet? Didn't you have some new locations for my and Mystery to check out?"

Drawn away by his temporary discomfort, Duet replied, "Oh, yes. Yes, the coordinates. Let me just…"

He wandered into the back of the store, audibly rummaging around for something. Vivi looked down at Mystery and said, "You know, you could try to be a little nicer to the guy. Last time he saw you, he thought you were gonna eat all of us."

Mystery only smiled impishly at her in response. Sometimes, Vivi felt like now she was raising a toddler instead of being protected by a spirit.

"Aha! Found it!" Duet came back holding a large tome. He set the book down with a loud _thunk_ and started flipping through pages, until he came to a page that contained what he must have been looking for. Checking over the incantation, he showed it to Vivi. For some reason, she showed more ability to do this than anyone else Duet had met before. Vivi couldn't explain it, the runes on the pages just came easier to her. Maybe it was because she just liked dead languages more than living ones. Check that, she liked dead _everything_ , from civilizations to people.

Carefully, she sounded out the syllables, and was rewarded with a location imprinted within her mind. This one was unfamiliar, but thanks to the spell, she was able to piece together how to get there. She looked down at Mystery and said, "I've got it. Let's go."

Mystery nodded and the two of them set out towards their next destination. Vivi called behind her, "Thanks, Duet, we'll check in again if we need anything." Duet waved as watched them go, his face set as unreadable as a mask.


	6. What Goes Around

_It has been far too long since the last time I had a herald. Even immortals need a travelling partner. A lonely ghost all too quickly becomes a mad one._

* * *

Lewis awoke to the sound of birds chirping nearby, and his own deadbeats crowing back in response. Lewis' bones ached from sleeping on a cave floor that night. Pushing himself upright, Lewis stretched and watched his Deadbeats swirl around each other nearby. There was no rush to go anywhere, or to do anything, for that matter. He had all the time in the world, now. Of course, he enjoyed watching them play in the breaking morning. It was endearing to see them interact, even if it was as one nip at the other's tail whenever they irritated one another. They were infants of the spirit world, even more so than he was. As strange as it seemed, it was nice to have a chance to guard something for a change.

Carefully, Lewis squeezed his shoulders in tightly to avoid the edges of the waterfall in front of the cave. No sense in getting his suit wet if he could help it. The stairs he walked down on afforded him a small hole through the water, but Lewis was a little broader than the men this hole had in mind. Once he was clear of the water, he took a moment to step back and appreciate the sight of the place they had spent the night. By all accounts, it was incredibly beautiful. The Dream Drop had been one of the places that Lewis and his friends had investigated while he was still living, back before he and Vivi had started dating. Large, monolithic stone hands from a bygone age jutted from the cliffs and guided twin waterfalls to intertwine and conceal the cave entrance. Past the waterfall, crystal caves weaved and darted into the core of the mountains, leading visitors into the deep dark with the reflected light of moon and star. The crystals were affixed to the walls somehow, and no tool of man could persuade them to leave the cave. But what truly piqued Vivi and Lewis' interest in the place was how the twin waterfalls flowed upwards, against gravity, and into the ocean beyond the river. Not only that, but the water didn't erode the stone steps to the cave or the carved hands above, despite having been there for centuries, at least. There was a never-ending supply of water for the reflecting pool below. Vivi had become convinced that there was a water spirit present in the small pool. Childish things, but not something to be trifled with; water spirits held powerful magic in their immature hands, and such beings were best left untouched, especially if they weren't hurting anyone.

The place was said to grant wishes to those who spent an evening in the caves under a full moon. Naturally, such a place attracted honeymooners in throngs, but few took the time to actually read the legends, so most came at the wrong time in the lunar calendar. The four had come on the right night and avoided all of the nearby security in order to test the place's spiritual authenticity. They each had made a wish, and had waited for a sign, but to their disappointment at the time, nothing happened that they could see. Lewis' wish indeed did come true, though he wouldn't know it for another year after that bust.

Vivi had forgotten everything. He had thought that she'd just want to start over, right where they had started, but…she wasn't interested at all. It was like all of their past was nothing now. Had something gone wrong when she had remembered? Maybe the spells had sent her emotions out of whack? Well, either way, it was something that could be figured out later.

Snapping his fingers to get their attention, Lewis said to the trio, "Come on guys, we've got ground to cover." At the sound of his voice, the small pink mass of ghosts immediately trailed after him, bodies spiraling and waving in the breeze as they exited the cave that they had spent the night in. The three of them were truly an interesting group. Falsetto was by far the most rambunctious, going from happy to manic in a matter of seconds at any given moment. Then there was Barry, since he didn't respond well to being called Baritone. He was the most curious out of the three, always inquisitive, and always getting into fights with Falsetto. And last, but not least, there was little Whistle. Whistle was timid, and shy, always made upset by the arguments of her two siblings. She was Lewis' favorite out of the three, although he cared for all of his deadbeats.

The trio, in an unusual display of unanimity, all surrounded Lewis and pouted together. _Wow, even their whining is in triple harmonies. That's…oddly impressive._ Lewis knew what they were getting at, though, and said, "Guys, come on, we've stayed here long enough, we have to get back to the other deadbeats. We've been away from home for way too long." It was weird to think of the Childswood Mansion like that. _Home_. But it was, at least it was the closest thing to home that Lewis had now.

Seeing that their original tactics weren't working, Falsetto stuck out his tongue and blared what must have been a raspberry at Lewis before sailing back towards the crystal cave they had stayed in. Barry, excited by Falsetto's antics, immediately gave chase, despite Lewis immediately calling after the both of them. Whisper shivered on Lewis' shoulder as her two brothers disappeared into the caves again. Giving her a quick nudge under the chin, Lewis turned back to the cave, squeezed his way in, and lit a flame in his palm.

The crystals lit up with the presence of Lewis' flame, and pink light was sent scintillating across the stone halls. As the brilliance travelled through the crystals, Lewis could hear his two minions trumpeting and squawking in confusion. Smiling—er, squinting—to himself, Lewis immediately lifted off the ground and gave chase after the noise. It wasn't long before he found the two in a dead end in the tunnels, arguing cacophonies between each other. They continued as he drew closer, only stopping as he audibly touched down on the ground. Eyes wide, they both fell silent, until Falsetto pointed one stubby arm at Barry and garbled out some sort of accusation. Lewis held up a hand before they started arguing again, fighting the urge to laugh. Tapping his locket, he said to the two, "Come on, guys, you've had your fun." The two ghostlings sighed in disappointment before chasing each other back into the locket, Whistle close behind. With everyone he came with, Lewis lifted off the ground again and flew back, towards home. His new home.

* * *

It was evening when Lewis arrived back at the Mansion, tired and ready to sleep again. He wasn't sure if he actually even _needed_ to sleep anymore, but he still felt fatigue. Maybe it was more of a recharging his magic, or something? Vivi would probably… _no_. _No more thinking about Vivi. She said she's not interested, and I should move on. That's the…that's the right thing to do._ Besides, after such a long journey, he was more than ready to kick back and relax for a day or two, and maybe forget about the debacle that had been the last few days, as well.

The steps up to the mansion were…unusually quiet. Normally, the house was flooded with activity at this time of night. The Deadbeats must be waiting in the attic, like they do sometimes. A pang of chagrin hit Lewis. He shouldn't have been gone for as long as he had been. In that small amount of time that he had been at the Mansion to lure the group in, the Deadbeats had adopted him as a protector, and had even assisted in his plans. They weren't particularly helpful, but it's the thought that counts.

Lewis flew in past the vaporized front hall and called out for the Deadbeats, humming out their favorite tune. They always loved when he did that, they came running. There wasn't any response. Confused, Lewis released the trio and told them to fan out, and search the whole main floor of the mansion. Falsetto checked the music room, Whistle scouted out the hall of mirrors, scaring herself with her reflection, and Barry decided to go to sleep in the lounge. No matter where they looked, there wasn't a single soul, living or dead, in the whole mansion. Lewis started to get nervous, until he thought to ask someone he knew would still be there. Floating up to the upper level, Lewis floated into the hallway, and was greeted by a horror of twisted wood and destruction everywhere. Confused, Lewis flew a little faster than usual for the painting hall, where he knew he could get answers.

Once he arrived, he walked over to the nearest painting on the wall. "Elain, are you there? I need to talk to you!" he called into the frame, but the painting of the elegantly dressed woman remained facing away from him, until she finally turned after he threatened to take her off the wall and put her in the attic.

She regarded him with a cold, hard stare. "Haven't you caused enough damage to this house, Mr. Pepper?"

As usual, Elain's temperament was about as agreeable as her snobby, upper-class accent, but Lewis ignored it, instead pressing, "Elain, I saw the hallway. What happened while I was gone?"

Her glare became furious as she turned fully to face him. "You have brought this calamity upon all of us yourself, and you dare to ask 'what happened'?" At Lewis' confused blinking, she rolled her eyes impatiently and said, "Your quest for vengeance, you total ignoramus! Thanks to you, we have attracted the attention of some of the most powerful spirits this mansion has ever had the misfortune to host. And to think, if my sainted mother could see the state of her house now…" She drew out a handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes, lamenting her family house's ruin.

Lewis, still not satisfied, said, "Where are the Deadbeats? There were dozens of them before I left, where have they all gone?"

She regarded Lewis with a face that he had not yet seen from her: disappointment. Her only answer was this: "They are not here. The Devourer has them now."

Eye sockets widening, Lewis backed away, shaking his head in disbelief. He wasn't sure what the Devourer was, but it didn't sound good. Rocketing down the hall, away from the paintings, he checked every room for himself, humming the favorite tune, every time growing more and more desperate. He finally stopped in the old throne room, where the destruction was at its peak. Beams were ripped out of place, fabrics were slashed. Lewis could almost sense the final moments of desperation and terror that had happened in this room. This had been where it had happened. Whatever the Devourer was, it had come, and it had taken every last Deadbeat from the Mansion. Lewis fell to his knees and clutched onto a nearby pillar for support, crying out in anguish. The Deadbeats had asked him to protect them, and he had failed them. He had failed all of them.

Slowly, he felt the despair give way, and open up to a chasm of rage that he had not felt since his death. Whoever this Devourer was, he would find them, and he would burn every last inch of them into ash. It didn't help matters that the name was so familiar…

Wait. Lewis stopped, squinting his eyes as he tried to remember. He hadn't heard anyone talking about the Devourer, but there was only one spirit he knew, that he had seen firsthand, that could consume other spirits for no other reason than for power.

Mystery.

He had come with Vivi to this place, he had seen the Deadbeats, and the bastard had consumed them all and probably _laughed_ while he did it. Unintentionally, his hand gripped the thin pillar's base as he had his revelation. The pillar cracked, creaked, and was crushed under the pressure of the force of his hand's grip. Lewis didn't care. He had spent enough time under Mauta to know that revenge was a posion, and that it would destroy him if he wasn't careful. Lewis didn't care. He knew that if he went after Mystery, he would likely never have a chance with Vivi again.

Lewis. Didn't. Care. All that he cared about was this one fact: before the week was through, that demon dog was going to burn in Hell, even if Lewis had to grab him by the scruff of the neck and drag him down there himself.


	7. Allies?

"I don't recall you ever coming out this way before, Vivi. Are you sure that spell is sending us in the right direction?"

"Oh, gee, Mystery. I'm not entirely sure. I guess maybe you're right, and I should double check that magic spell that _magically implanted our next stop into my brain._ "

"I...don't think I like your tone."

Satisfied to see Mystery chastised, Vivi returned her attention to the road ahead. It took them south, past the Palace of Rebirth and into the desert beyond. The sun was setting, knitting the sky into a pink and purple tapestry that slowly faded to dark. Ordinarily, Vivi loved sunsets like this, but she was too focused on her task at hand. Once she settled into "The Zone", as Arthur had liked to call it, she didn't stop to take in passing sights like most people would. The world descended into darkness faster than Vivi anticipated, and it took the sunset completely giving way to nightfall for Vivi to turn on her headlights.

"Not easy to navigate by starlight, is it?" Mystery smirked.

"Shut up. We're here."

Vivi pulled the car over to an old, abandoned truck stop. The welcome center building was still standing, but it was practically in ruins. The windows were all shattered, and the one remaining double door hung sadly on its last hinge. Trees grew in the back of the property, wild and forgotten, a new grove reclaiming an old outpost. It irritated Vivi, in a way that she didn't expect. The trees were young and beautiful, but their lack of uniform pruning made them look so unkempt, so uneven, so...wild, that their mere presence made Vivi feel like she needed to correct it.

It wasn't that unusual for Vivi to find small, inconsequential messes like this and be irritated by them, but this was new. The lack of order here was more than just vexing, it was distracting. Vivi averted her gaze from the gnarled trunks and wild branches and focused on the task at hand.

"Okay, Mystery, we're stopping here to get something for Duet and then we can keep going, I...think."

"What do you mean, you think?" Mystery cocked his head as he asked.

"I mean, the location is kinda...well, it's...blurring, sort of…" Vivi scratched her head as she fumbled over the words, trying to describe what was going on in her mind.

"Blurring? What do you mean, blurring? Are you losing the coordinates?"

"No, it's not that, I can still see the coordinates, it's just that they're...shifting. I think that maybe that our lead is moving?"

" _Bitom_." Mystery barked a small word under his breath before he started sniffing the ground and enlarged to his full kitsune form.

"Ah...Gesundheit?"

"I was afraid of this. We need to move, before the trail goes cold again. Whatever business we have here, let's get it done and move on."

"Right, right. We're looking for a small piece of metal, long and thin, but not bigger than my forearm." Vivi started searching the grounds herself with her flashlight before she asked, "By the way, what was that word you just said?"

"I-" Mystery looked away awkwardly before saying, "It's nothing, just a meaningless word."

"It didn't sound like a meaningless word to me, you sounded mad when you said it."

"It-it doesn't mean anything, I shouldn't have said it! Now, can we keep searching please?"

"Wow, sorry. Heh, you make it sound like you said some kind of ancient Egyptian curse word or something." Vivi chuckled as she looked around a tree's trunk.

"Enochian curse, actually…"

"Wait, what?!"

"Oh, would you look at that, I found the scent!" With that, Mystery bounded off over the hill and deeper into the grove behind the decrepit welcome center.

"Mystery! Ugh, wait up! I swear, if you get there before I do and break the stupid thing you're gonna-"

Vivi's voice was interrupted by a soft red glow flashing over the hill and an unearthly screech. Vivi's eyes widened as she recognized the pitch of the wail. Only one kind of creature made that noise.

"Crap, crap _crap!_ " Vivi tilted into a full sprint as she crossed over the top of the hill to find…

...Mystery crouched down, in dog form, seemingly hiding. Quickly, but not so quickly as to draw attention, Vivi slid down the hill beside Mystery. She started to ask why he had suddenly changed, but was immediately greeted by a quick paw to the mouth to keep her quiet.

In a hushed whisper, Mystery said, "Look there, just beyond those trees. We aren't alone."

Vivi removed the paw and retorted, "First of all, your paws are gross and I'm giving you a bath when we get home. Second, yes I know, I heard the Hollows screeching, why are we hiding from them?"

"I wasn't talking about the Hollows."

Vivi blinked, confused, then followed Mystery's gaze out into the treeline. There were red blurs of light where the Hollowed Ones were, but there was something else, a darker shape among them, too difficult to make out in the dim starlight.

"What is it? I can't tell what that other shape is."

"It's a woman of some sort. I've never seen her before."

Vivi blinked, then stared through the trees, squinting her eyes to focus on the darker shape. It was moving too fast to focus on, until the shape stopped after the final Hollow was pinned against a tree by the shape. It screeched in pain as the shape stabbed it through with an old looking blade. Vivi gasped aloud, then quickly covered her mouth with both hands, too late.

The cloaked woman whirled around, searching for the source of the noise, even as the Hollow was dissolving into red dust. Vivi barely had time to blink before the woman blurred again and was suddenly in front of her. Vivi squeaked and jumped backwards, but the woman grabbed her arm with a grip of steel before she could escape.

Vivi reached for her purse to get her arm cannon, but then she heard a husky, but still feminine voice say, "I wouldn't."

A series of barks and growls from near the interloper's feet made her look down to see Mystery bristling at the strange woman. Amused, the woman said to Vivi, "Tell your guard dog to behave. Wouldn't want him to get hurt."

 _Lady, if you had any idea..._ Vivi replied, "How about first let go of my sleeve? I'm not one of those demons you-"

She cut off, abruptly, as she saw the woman's mask, but then recovered, saying, "Oh geez, a fangirl…"

The Woman cocked her head and waited for Vivi to elaborate: "I'll admit, you've got the act down pretty good, even down to the mask and that sword over there. What you use in the forging, Sidhe Iron? That's the only metal I can think of that would make a dent in a ghost like that."

The woman's eyes shifted behind the mask as she released Vivi's arm. A blink? "You know your Ectology."

"Yeah, well I've been kinda making a career of this, lady. Me and my...well, nevermind that." Vivi turned away as unwanted memories came back unbidden.

"Your friends." Vivi turned back in surprise as the woman guessed what she was thinking. "There were four of you once, I believe."

Vivi's eyes narrowed. "How did you know that?"

"I've been keeping tabs on you. You and a few other groups nearby. It behooves a huntress to watch for potential allies."

"Allies? For what?"

"I'm searching for a ghost. I believe it may be connected to these red spirits that have appeared in all corners of the region." Vivi had to hand it to the lady, she was really devoted to playing this character. Of course, there was no WAY she could really be THE Madame Jeanette; the rumors had said she had died decades ago. Real deal or no, however, the masked lady was obviously skilled. Maybe she _would_ be useful as an ally.

Finally, Vivi made up her mind and said, "Well, hey, we're chasing those red goons too. If you like, we can travel together for a while."

The woman seemed to consider her proposal for a moment, then abruptly said, "Very well, I accept." She made a flicking motion with her wrist and her iron sword flew out of the trunk of the tree it was buried in and into her hand. She then started walking briskly in the direction of the van, as if she had known were it was all along.

Mystery waited until the woman was out of earshot to growl at Vivi "Have you taken leave of your senses, girl? We can't invite a random stranger to travel with us! What if she-"

"Mystery, relax. One, there's one of her and two of us, and you're more powerful than her even in you weakened state. Two, she seems to know stuff about the Hollowed Ones, so she might be helpful. At best, she's a glorified cosplayer with enough skills that we can count on her for help."

"Cos...player, what?"

"She's dressed up like Madame Jeanette, a famous ghost hunter from about twenty years ago. I'm pretty sure she's dead, there's no way she's the ORIGINAL Madame Jeanette."

"Alright, and at worst?"

"At worst, you can eat her and we can forget all about it."

Mystery groaned before he said, "I hate the taste of humans though...they taste as bad as they smell. No offense."

"Oh whatever." Vivi and Mystery started to walk back to the van after the false Jeanette, before Vivi asked Mystery, "Hey, did we forget something?"

"Oh nothing important, I think."


End file.
